The invention/adoption of writing in Japan was during the Nara era . This transition from pre-literate to literate society is regarded as the birth of written mythology and history in Japan (Sakamoto 2005: 2). It is also the dawn of the literary development of war-related contents. Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters, AD 712) is a chronicle of myths and histories often regarded as 'the oldest book in Japan' (Kadokawa Shoten 2002: 3; Ō no Yasumaro, 2014). Kojiki's purpose, as stated in its

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... , was to 'explain the legitimacy of the emperor's rule' as ancient Japan became a nation (Sakamoto 2005: 7). Kojiki's narrative world consists of epic stories that oscillate between myth and history. Consequently, Kojiki is often treated as a literary book rather than a history book, and many of the stories are familiar to people in modern Japan. Research on Kojiki began in earnest during the Edo period with the publication of Motoori Norinaga's Kojiki-den in 1798. Records of Motoori's March 1772 travel to Hatsuse (Hase), Yoshino and Yamato suggest that he went 'on a tour of the Imperial tombs for the purpose of writing Kojiki-den' (Hashimoto 2006: 13), meaning that contents tourism related to Kojiki probably transpired during the Edo period. Kojiki contains numerous tales depicting battles fought by heroic deities and imperial families to slay monsters and to pacify the nation. Emperor Jimmu was Japan's first emperor and Yamato Takeru is the 'greatest hero of ancient history' (Sakamoto 2005: 42), who contributed to the pacification of the Japanese nation. Journeys in their footsteps are still practised in various ways today. For example, in September 2012, to commemorate the 1,300th anniversary of the compilation of Kojiki, the Miyazaki City Tourism Association held an event called 'Jimmu tennō go-tōsen kyanpēn' (Emperor Jimmu's conquest of the east campaign) inviting people to visit locations associated with Emperor Jimmu's eastward expedition. Participants departed from Miyazaki Jingu Shrine for a seven-day tour to Kashihara Jingu Shrine (Miyazaki nichinichi shinbun 2012). Kashihara Jingu was